Bat Mitzvah Scrapbooking Ideas

Your daughter's bat mitzvah is certain to be a day to remember. Celebrate this milestone in her life with a special scrapbook layout.

Ideas for Your Bat Mitzvah Scrapbook

The process of becoming a bat mitzvah is extensive, so you may need more than one layout to adequately cover this milestone. Use the following suggestions to plan your scrapbook:

• Preparations: Create a layout or two discussing the steps your child had to take to prepare for her bat mitzvah. For example, did she need to attend a minimum number of Shabbat prayer services, study at a Hebrew school, or complete a community service project?
• The Party Planning Process: Cover choosing the venue, selecting a theme, decorating, and planning the menu. Include a copy of the invitation and any newspaper announcements relating to the event.
• Catching Up With Friends and Family: Take lots of pictures of the guest of honor with her friends and any relatives who have traveled long distances to attend the celebration. If possible, include notes or quotes from loved ones offering advice to your daughter.
• Gifts: Gifts are not required, but are often received as a token of goodwill. Document some of the special items the guest of honor has received. If she receives cash, describe what she plans to do with the money such as donating a portion to a favorite charity or adding to her college fund.
• Future Plans: In Jewish tradition, a girl's bat mitzvah signifies she's mature enough to become a full fledged member of the religious community. Create a page with photos of the guest of honor attending religious services as child and add some journaling describing what the future will hold for her after this important milestone.
• Past and Present: Pay tribute to previous generations by showcasing your daughter's bat mitzvah photos next to pictures of her sisters, mother, aunts, and grandmothers on their special days. This type of heritage scrapbook layout makes it fun to compare the resemblance between family members.

Creating Your Scrapbook Page

When it comes time to assemble your bat mitzvah scrapbook page, consider the following design suggestions:

• Use text paper to make a decorative pocket for storing cards and letters received from friends and family. The Scrapbook Customs religious collection, shown at right, includes a pretty bat mitzvah paper with text from the Talmud.
• Stamp your own background paper using a Star of David rubber stamp, such as this one from Rubber Hedgehog.
• Make a border using strips of coordinating patterned papers, such as the Star of David and Tallit designs in the Bat Mitzvah scrapbooking kit from Traditions Jewish Gifts. Alternatively, you could create subtly patterned paper punch flowers with these designs.
• Add a 3D effect your page with a folded origami star of David made from paper in the color of your choice.
• Pull together a quick theme album using free digital scrapbooking papers. Scrapbook Scrapbook has a collection of pink bat mitzvah papers in the 8 ½ x 11" size, as well as a page of title embellishments.
• Create your own customized album by picking a scrapbook with a small frame opening and then adding the bat mitzvah digital illustration from MyBonnieDesigns to the front. Carry the theme throughout your book by including smaller versions of the illustration on your title page and selected interior layouts.

Sayings and Quotes for Bat Mitzvah Pages

If you're looking for page titles for your bat mitzvah layouts, consider the following:

• Mazel Tov
• Daughter of Commandment
• Let the Light of Hashem Shine Through
• Life Is Like a Ring and Your Bat Mitzvah Is the Gem
• A Day for Feeling Pride in Yourself and Your Heritage

You may also want to include a religious verse or two in your scrapbook as accompaniments to your journaling. Here are some suggestions:

• "I found a fruitful world, because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise I am planting for my children." ~ Talmud, Ta'anit 23a
• "Surely, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." ~ Isaiah 12:2
• "Kindness and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth will sprout from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven." ~Psalms 85:11-12
• "Be strong and courageous! Neither fear, nor be dismayed of them, for the Lord, your God He is the One Who goes with you. He will neither fail you, nor forsake you." ~ Deuteronomy 31:6
• "Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry." ~ Psalms 88:2
• "I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country." ~ Leviticus 26:6
• "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:31

Memories to Cherish

Whether you decide to create just a few layouts or plan to put together an entire album dedicated to the occasion, don't be afraid to get creative with your scrapbook. No matter how you approach the project, your bat mitzvah layouts are sure to become cherished family keepsakes.