Remember the old school personalized magazine covers you’d find at the local amusement park where they basically put your face on someone else’s body? No matter how great the job it was always a little off. Well, say goodbye to fake bodybuilders and beach babes and hello to real life cover models. And let me tell you, the real life version is awesome!

I had more fun reviewing YourCover’s Personalized Magazine Covers than I did inhaling a bucket of Trader Joe’s Dunkers. With our little one’s first birthday this week I had the perfect reason for creating a keepsake to celebrate this big event (she’s our last, what can I say?). With her pinchable cheeks and chunky thighs it was easy to turn that baby girl into a cover model. The process was super easy using the online design studio. I simply uploaded my favorite photo (vertical works best) and then cropped the image so her face was front and center. Next I created personalized headlines (font style, size and color) unique to her and her special day. The back cover had room for more photos (didn’t find this out until later, dang!), an Editor’s Note, masthead and sections for additional personalized text. I threw in Livi’s 10 favorite things and Top 10 Ways to Party.

If you’re not a big writer don’t worry; YourCover offers helpful suggestions for the various sections. Just tweak it a bit, proofread and you’re good to go. Your personalized magazine cover is printed on a heavyweight glossy paper and full bleed, which means the color goes to the edge of the paper so it looks like a real magazine cover. It arrives in a deluxe acrylic frame so everyone can see both the front and back, plus you can order extra copies to share with friends and family. I ordered two extra so both sets of grandparents could take one home. (Our grandkids are their favorites so displaying the magazine cover is a given…right, Mom?)

Typical of my life these days I waited until the last minute to order so Livi’s issue of First Birthday magazine has not yet arrived, but if it looks anything like the proofs it’s going to be fabulous! A personalized magazine cover from YourCover runs around $50 (additional copies are only $4.50) but let me tell you, I feel a lot better about spending that amount on this unique and beautiful keepsake than I do on a pathetically small amount (about three) photo sheets from Kiddie Kandids. My babies never made headlines there.—Emily

** Giveaway YourCover is giving away one free personalized magazine cover! Please leave a comment with a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: August 13, 2008 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

* Promotion! YourCover is offering Daily Dish readers $5 off their purchase! Simply enter code BC5 at checkout. Offer expires September 30, 2008.

** Congratulations to Mary S., the winner of the YourCover giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!