Reply to "How long did your layout planning stage last?"

 I was in a world of sea foam green (green foam) that had me "locked up". I picked up some rolls of "grass paper" from a hobby shop, and just rolled it out, no glues. Having that more organic look vs total "plasticville" helped. You can always add ground cover over top of it as time goes on. I think I spent $34 on a 4.5 x 9 layout, full price at a Hobby Lobby, so getting it cheaper shouldn't be too hard.