♥ Be-Love series: Red Velvet cake ♥

Hello!! I was so busy last few weeks, I'm moving out, so many things to pack... and I couldn't finish my Be-Love Series, so here it is.
Baking a cake or a heart shaped one for Valentine's Day is something usual. Anyway this was my first experience in 'romance bakery' and The experiment called : Red Velvet cake, an American typical dessert.

Tea&Love

Vintage ad 'I feel a kiss coming on!'

On my previous post, I showed a vintage makeup brand whose one of its star products, was a cream blush for instant rosy cheeks and lips. Red is blood, Red is tempting, even in cakes.

Funny retro ad

A Red Velvet Cake is a cake with a dark red, bright red or red-brown color. It's traditionally prepared as a layer cake topped with cream cheese. Nowadays the reddish colour is achieved by adding red food coloring. This cake is well-known in United States and Canada. However, it's widely considered a Southern recipe.

The Red Velvet cake is confused on its origins. Because the ingredients were expensive to buy, cake itself was considered to be a rich man's food in early America. After the American Industrial Revolution took place between late 18th century and mid 19th century, baking ingredients were easier to come by and made more affordable for the common folk. At that time, cake became more of a common dessert rather than a delicacy afforded only by the well-to-do. 

In fact, in the 1920's a story and a recipe began circulating around America, about a cake that was served at the restaurant in New York's Waldorf Astoria. The legend says there was a woman who was staying at the hotel, she loved the caked and she had sampled there so much that she wrote to the hotel, asking for the baker's name and a copy of the recipe. The recipe arrived in the mail alongside a rather large bill. As soon as she saw the excessive bill, the woman was so furious that's why she copied the recipe and sent it to everyone she knew. 

The main ingredient, most Southerners won't do without in their homemade recipes, is cocoa. Many believe the additional ingredients of vinegar and buttermilk will turn the cocoa into a deeper red color due to a chemical reaction. During World War II, some bakers who refused to forgo the cake's signature color despite food rations, used boiled red beets instead of food coloring for their secret recipes.

On the other hand, other people believe its name, red velvet, is because of bakers used to add some brown sugar and its colour was never red. Then food colorings came along. John A. Adams had a fairly prosperous extract business until the Great Depression. His company then started setting up displays to drive business…of course the picture was of a bright Red Velvet cake. With purchase of his red food coloring came the Red Velvet Cake recipe :)

I've followed next recipe and demonstration from Joy of Baking.com

My Red Velvet Cake

My Red Velvet cake

Three layers red velvet cake:)

A resurgence in the popularity of this cake is partly attributed to the late 80's film Steel Magnolias in which the groom's cake (a southern tradition) for one of the film's main character, is a red velvet cake made in the shape of an armadillo.

Have you ever made a Red Velvet cake?

Would you like to make it?

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

♥ Be-Love series: J ♡J ♥

I do love hearts engraved in the trunks.

♥ (Source)

That is the image which comes into my mind, when I am thinking about two people: Johnny Cash & Judy Carter. I always imagined them, running down the field, stopping and engraving J ♥ J in a tree. They were the main characters of a true romance: A rock'n'roll love story ;)

A rock'n' roll love story

Have you ever heard about it?

Johnny Cash, 'my tough guy', flirted with drugs and played with the law.

His Mugshot

There is a famous saying which says: 'Behind every great man there's a great woman', in this case a rocker. And there is a legend that goes like this: Johnny Cash met June Carter thanks to Elvis Presley, who introduced them in the Sam Records Company, where rock'n'roll was born.

This is probably the most famous shot of the couple (1969)

June Carter was a 'jack-ie of all trades': a singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedian and member of the Carter Family, the traditional American folk band. She could played the guitar, banjo, harmonica and autoharp, and as an actress she perfomed in several films and television shows. She had such a pastoral voice that she was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009. She was ranked No. 31 in Country Music Television's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002.

June Carter Cash

They got married in 1968 but they had been perfoming for many years before their wedding. 

Their wedding day

The couple put up with difficult situations: Johnny's amphetamine overdoses, drunkenness and tours by dusty roads and winter storms, however they remained married for 35 years.

Johnny and June, an Example to follow

The hit 'Ring of Fire' was sung by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. The song was originally recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her Mercury Records album Folk Songs Old and New (1963) as '(Love's) Ring of Fire'.

Although 'Ring of Fire' sounds somewhat ominous or even some bad vibrations, but the term refers to falling in love – which is what June Carter experienced with Johnny Cash when they met. Some sources claim that Carter had seen the phrase 'Love is like a burning ring of fire' underlined in one of her uncle's books of poetry from Elizabethan era. She worked with Merle Kilgore on writing a song inspired by this phrase as she had seen her uncle do in the past. She had written:

'There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns'.

Love is a burning thing

and it makes a firery ring

bound by wild desire

I fell in to a ring of fire…

I fell in to a burning ring of fire

I went down,down,down

and the flames went higher.

And it burns,burns,burns

the ring of fire

the ring of fire.

The taste of love is sweet

when hearts like our's meet

I fell for you like a child

oh, but the fire went wild…

I fell in to a burning ring of fire

I went down,down,down

and the flames went higher.

And it burns,burns,burns

the ring of fire

the ring of fire.

Unfortunately June Carter Cash died in May 2003, Johnny Cash couldn't stand losing his lovebird and four months after he passed away too. The couple had only one child in 1970, have a look at his website: John Carter Cash.

Daddy and Mommy Cash :)

Daddy Cash :)

I recommend you the movie Walk The Line (2005), starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash, where John Carter Cash was the executive producer. In this interview, he talked about the film, his parents' faith, their relationship and their musical legacy: My father was a wildfire. 
This film gives a sorely accurate portrayal of the bad and turbulent times of Johnny Cash during his career leading up to his proposal to June Carter Cash. The perfomances are absolutely wonderful.

'Walk The Line' movie (2005)

To finish, I think they were like a couple of swallows. As far as you know, the swallows are an old sailor's tattoo, and I've always associated swallow tattoos with loyalty and fidelity - swallows choose a mate for life and will only nest with that bird and no other. So next image will be my little tribute to this lovely couple.

J ♥ J

I love this pic ♥

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

Hidden Treasures

Hello Be-Bops! How are you doing?

Although I've read many posts about the great artist Gil Elvgren, this will be my turn but I don't want to write about his life and career because I bet you know it.

Self portrait

I always felt attracted to his art. It reads, he was one of the most important Pin Up and glamour artists of the 20th century.
Elvgren never portrayed women like femme fatale. His illustrations were cute, sweet and cheeky at once. His gals could be 'the girl next door', who revealed their lingerie and stockings in embarrasing situations: a breeze, an arrow, a posture, a whiteware, a playful pet...Anything was the perfect pretext for lifting their skirts up and showing their lovely legs. I do recommend you this article: Gil Elvgren and his real Pin Ups. Have a look! you will love it!

Cooling Off (A Cool Number) (1958)

Finders Keepers (1945)

Hold Everything (1962)

Screen Test (1968)

The Wrong Nail (1967)

Next picture shows my custom Pin Up floor lamp. It's decorating my living room from now on :)

Custom Pin Up Floor Lamp ♥

Did you like it?

What would you need to have one?

Ingredients :)

I bought a cheap paper floor lamp, you can find lots of them in IKEA. The Pin Up illustrations belonged to an old calendar, but you can print some of them from the internet. It's so easy to do! :)
If you need some inspiration, just have a look around this beautiful blog: Vintage. El Glamour de Antaño. Nena Kosta designs some cute collages and they would be grand for your custom lamp! :)

To finish, next picture was taken by my boyfriend 

and I was the humble model.

It's my little tribute to Gil Elvgren ♥

My name is Guybrush Threepwood
and I want to be a pirate! hahaha ;)

This was the inspirational picture: Hidden Treasures (1954)

Hidden Treasures (1954)

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

I've got a lovely bunch of cocoanuts

Hello! Some months ago, I got a special award from: Cocoanuts Shop. This is a lovely vintage shop. They sell second hand goods and garments. I am sure if you are a vintage collector, you would love it! Have a look!:)

How to nominate a blogger for The 100% Affidabile Blog Award:

01. The blog is updated regularly. (El blog es actualizado regularmente).

02. The blogger shows genuine passion for the topic (El blogger muestra verdadera pasión por lo que hace).

03. The blogger promotes the sharing and the active participation of readers (El blogger promueve la participación activa de intercambio y de lectores).

04. The blogger provides content and information which is useful and original (El blogger proporciona información útil y de contenido original).

05. The blog is not packed with too much advertising (El blog no está lleno de demasiada publicidad). 

THE RULES

Choose five blogs and tag them in this post.

My 5 nominees are:

01. La estación de Mela

02. Vintage. El glamour de antaño

03. Mara Miniver

04. Atlantis 2050

05. E per tetto un cielo di stelle

Next song by Fred Heatherton, from 1944 names my post, it's just a little gratitude to Cocoanuts shop ;)

And that's not all! I got 'Best blog' award from Mara Miniver too!. Mara writes excellent movie reviews, she retrieves her notes and look at our ideas, what we are hankering after reading indeed. Thank you Mara!

THE RULES

Answer the following 11 questions and choose 20 blogs and tag them in this post.

My 11 answers for Mara Miniver:

1. What do you prefer to cook, desserts or stews&hotpots? // (¿Qué te gusta más cocinar: postres o platos de cuchara?)

I enjoy cooking stews&hotpots, they are easier to me, although I am so proud of my last dessert: The King Cake :)

My King Cake :)

2. What attracts you more, personality or physical appearance? // (¿Qué es lo más importante para ti en una persona: la personalidad o el físico?)
Personality ;)

3. How long did you start to blog? // (¿Desde cuando empezaste con el blog o página?)

I started to blog last May. Eager to read and keen to write :)

My first post

4. Who was your mentor for blogging? // (¿Quién fue la persona que te inspiró para empezar en este mundo?)

My sister Nata, she's a makeup guru. Kevyn Aucoin was an inspiration too. We love it!.

And of course myself hahaha Be-Bop is a part of me.

This book is hunky-dory. I love it!♥

5. Do you usually follow many blogs? Do your followers come from people you've met earlier on? // (¿Sueles seguir muchos blogs o te llegan los seguidores por otras personas que te han conocido?)

Yes I do, there are a lot of beautiful blogs on the internet and I would love to check them out. Honestly I don't have any clue how my followers found me! but I really appreciate your support Be-Bops! Thankssss :)

Thank you so much!♥

6. Do you like cooking or you want someone to do it? // (¿Qué te gusta más: cocinar o que te cocinen?)
Both of them on condition that, this person musn't be my boyfriend hahaha. He's a disaster when it comes to cooking.

Lovely pic from the 50's

7) Do you eat in your workplace or at home? //(¿Comes en el trabajo o en casa?)

I usually eat at home, when I come back after working at sevenish.

Two workers women drinking some milk and eating a sandwich

8) Do you usually cook vegetable recipes? // (¿ Sueles hacer recetas de verduras?)
Sure! I'm not a big meat eater.

Now don't ask me what's cooking (1948)
Gil Elvgren Illustration♥

9) What is your best recipe? // (¿Cuál es tu mejor receta?)

Hmmm, Beef stew according to my boyfriend.

Croquettes according to my workmates.

Spaghetti alla carbonara according to my best friend hahaha.

I loooove cooking!♥

10) What makes someone your friend? // ¿Qué es lo que pides a una persona para que sea tu amiga?

My best friends never judge me, they don't talk bad about me. They are my best party buddies, and they are always here for me at all hours of the day ;)

I LUV you, girls!♥

11) What is the best film you've ever seen? // ¿Cuál es la mejor película que has visto?

Lots of them. Anyway my favorite actress is Katharine Hepburn. I really adore her. She's my muse. I watched 'Bringing Up Baby' when I was 5 years old at my nana's house. I'll always remember it!.

Bringing Up Baby♥

My 20 nominees are:

01. Haute Rockabilly Fashionista

02. Pin Up Spirit

03. Marilyn Bedroom

04. Integral Woman

05. Mukeka land

06. Nestled in Nostalgia

07. Érase una vez un Príncipe Azul que nunca existió

08. Vintage Passiones Just like Mine

09. Susan's Diary Vintage style meets heavy music

10. Mary Lou Cinnamon

11. Mademoiselle Rock'n'Roll

12. Cocoanuts Shop

13. Diario de una Pin Up frustrada

14. My name is Peggy Sue

15. Walking in May

16. Ruby Armoire

17. Cheeky vintage chick

18. Comrade Von Pussycat

19. Llámalo X

20. ¡Prooofeee!

And that's all Be-Bops!

P.S. If you don't want to answer these questions or whatever, it doesn't matter, this is only a nice way to show you that I love your blog. Without obligation:)

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

Frosty Blondes

Men prefer blondes and the director Alfred Hitchcock fetishized them. During his career, he glorified them as 'Frosty blondes', perfect women.

Anny Ondra in Blackmail (1929)

A succession of beauties girls combined feminine refinement and sex appeal in a way that was meticulously stylized. Hitchcock heroines tended to be lovely, cool blondes who seemed proper at first, but when aroused by passion or danger responded in a sensual, animal or even criminal way.

Carole Lombard in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

While they all shared some qualities, it would be a mistake to view them as a cookie-cutter blondes. The continuous and symbolic evolution of the Hitchcock heroine made them very different from each other.

Marlene Dietrich, in State Fright (1950), was one of the earliest of the type and a knowing, glacial heroine. In the film, Charlotte Inwood, a glamorous singer, with her chiseled cheekbones and sharply arched brows, murders her husband, and then tries to pin the crime on her lover.

Marlene Dietrich in Stage Fright (1950)

Kim Novak was more voluptuous, and throughout Vertigo (1958) tantalizingly wore her hair in a tightly coiled French twist (a thinly veiled Hitchcockian metaphor, of course, for tightly coiled feminine passion).

Kim Novak as Madeleine in Vertigo (1958)

Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959) possessed, by comparison, a brittle and seductive perfection. She plays Eve Kendall, and she is not as innocent as she looks. 

Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959)

Even the choice of lipstick colour could be loaded with symbolism. Hitchcock's 'good' female characters wore cool, barely-there makeup to minimize their sexuality, while lipstick blatantly signified sex. For instance, Kim Novak as the idealized Madeleine in Vertigo has light-pink lips and blonde hair, but as 'imperfect' Judy has coppery hair and red lips.

Kim Novak as Judy in Vertigo (1958)

My little tribute for Vertigo and Kim Novak

Madeleine and Judy, Vertigo (1958)

But it was Grace Kelly who was the quintessential 'snow-covered volcano'. Kelly was one of the definitive beauties of the 1950's. An icon of elegance and refinement, she effortlessly portrayed the haughty allure that so appealed to Hitchcock, for whom she starred in Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955). She retired from film to become Monegasque royalty in 1956, but always credits Hitchcock for being her one, true cinematic teacher: 'He taught me everything. It was thanks to him that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes, and love scenes like murder scenes'.

Grace Kelly and Alfred Hitchcock in Rear Window (1954)

Rear Window (1954)

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief (1955)
♥♥♥I love this couple ♥♥♥

On the other hand, the director once said, 'You know why I favour sophisticated blondes in my films?' 'We're after the drawing-room type, the real ladies, who become whores once they're in the bedroom'.

I bet, he preferred the white bird haha x)

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡