Wanting to set aside a birth certificate as something to treasure and cherish is not unusual. After all, what better way to celebrate the birth of a child than by preserving the certificate of that birth? If you are considering scrapbooking birth certificates, there are some tips and tricks we can give you here, and some things to keep in mind when dealing with an official document as well.
First, are you sure it is a good idea to be putting birth certificates on scrapbook pages in the first place? Remember, your child is going to need that certificate sometime down the road, whether it is to enroll in school, get a passport or driver’s license, or for some other reason. Chances are the people at the Department of Motor Vehicles will not appreciate someone coming in with a birth certificate that is attached to a fancy scrapbook page. Usually people who are interested in scrapbooking original birth certificates do so for elderly relatives who have passed away, as sad as it sounds. You really do not want to be scrapbooking a birth certificate for anyone that may ever need that birth certificate again.
The best thing to do is to either make a copy of the certificate or scan it into your computer. Once in the computer you can even resize it for your page layout. If you absolutely must scrapbook the original birth certificate, use a pocket or an envelope to include the document. That way you can easily remove it from the page when it is needed. The other option is to contact the department in your city that handles birth certificates and request another original. There is usually a fee for this, but often it is a nominal amount.
If you are for going to be scrapbooking birth certificates, originals or copies, there are some ways you can go about doing this. Remember that you want to celebrate the birth of a child with page elements and embellishments that are child and baby related. Choose a good color scheme as well. While it is typical to have blue for boys and pink for girls, you can also opt for purple, yellow, red, or any other fun and festive color or combination of colors that you enjoy. When scrapbooking birth certificates, you may also want to include some photos of the baby, or of the first time mom holds the baby, and so on. Include a page with an older brother or sister too so that they will not feel left out.
If you have a large page layout like a 12×12 page, include some items from the hospital stay as well. The baby’s medical bracelet is a good thing to include when scrapbooking birth certificates, as is their first pair of socks or something else that can lay flat on the page. Include some journaling and phrases as well, and you may even want to spell out the baby’s name in big letters somewhere on the page. All of these make for great, unique scrapbook pages, especially for a baby album.
