Flushing Toilet (Valentine Box)

My son wanted a funny Valentine box for his class party, so he made a toilet (with my help).  A toilet is not a toilet though without it's flush, so we gave it one!

You can hear for yourself, here's a quick video of my son demonstrating how his Valentine box works.

Click here if you are viewing this in a reader or through e-mail to view the video.

My kids have had a lot of fun with this and I'll admit, I have a hard time walking by it myself without giving it a quick flush, ha-ha!

I had to call around to several places before I found a pre-wired 20 second digital voice recording module at Radio Shack that I could record the flush with.   It was more than I would normally spend on an item for a Valentine box ($11.00), but since this is the last year he'll make a box, I just went for it and splurged this time.  My first idea was to use a greeting card that you can record a message to, but I couldn't find one that didn't end with a song.

Supplies:

• Pre-wired 20 second digital voice recording module from Radio Shack
• Ice cream bucket (we ended up using a round one)
• Small (white) box the size of a water tank
• Foam Board
• Packing and Duct Tape
• Scissors
• Utility Knife
• White Spray Paint
• 2 Large Bolts and Nuts (or wood to hold them in place)
• Pencil and paper to make a pattern for the lid and seat

I'm not going to go into too much detail in directions because it's pretty simple to put together when you look at the pictures, but I do have a few tips for you:  

We used paint sticks to hold the bolts in place because it's what we had that would work, nuts would work best. 

Be VERY CAREFUL when you attach the voice recording module, the wires are fragile and will break easily, so try not to move them.  You might want to tape them in place so they don't move.

The seat lid is held on with clear packing tape.  Taping it on the underside of the lid to the top of the seat will help the lid to stay up on it's own

Use the sandpaper to clean up and round the edges of the foam board.

When you record the flushing sound, hold the recorder down low (just past the seat) inside the bowl to get the best sound.  Try not to think about what you're doing.

Cut holes in the box and for the button and the speaker.  Tape the module to the inside of the box.

  

The black circle on the top of the 'tank' is the speaker.  It's taped to the box

  

My son drilled through the ice cream bucket and into the box, pushed the bolt through and then threaded it through a pre-drilled piece of wood (paint stick).  We used a scrap piece of foam board and taped it under the box as a stand so the toilet wouldn't tip back from the weight of the box.

  

I promise you this is the only time I'll ever write an entire post about a toilet, and hey, I spared you from all of the toilet jokes too!  Can't say I wasn't a little tempted to sneak a couple in though. ;)

Today's Fabulous Find...Digital Recording Module from Radio Shack 

(Without it, it would have been just another toilet box.)

 *Have you checked back to see how the wheat grass is growing?

Click here to see how tall it's grown! 

A Dozen Past Valentine's Day Ideas

My thoughts have already turned to spring crafts and planning for an upcoming Church activity I'm helping with in March, so I haven't made much for Valentine's Day this year, other than a few projects for my mantel.   I did make several things last year though that are Valentine's Day related and hope you don't mind if I share them with you again.  



Crepe Paper Streamer Flowers and Girls Valentine Boxes

L*O*V*E Letter Photo Art-Free Printable

Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries

Printable Valentine Subway Art

S'more Kits with printable tags
(Includes a tutorial on how to make your own window box.)

Homemade Dipped Caramels
with Printable Chocolate Box Template

Soft Sugar Cookies and Candy Melt Roses

Free Printable Vintage Paper Dolls
Including Strawberry Shortcake, the Gingham Girls, and many more

Thrift Store Countdown Calendar and Printable Banner
The top is a cork board, the bottom is a chalkboard

Interchangeable Holiday Frame
Change the ornaments for each holiday.

Strawberry Jam Printable Labels and Gift Tags

Be sure to check out the link to the paper dolls, there are some really adorable ones, perfect for a Valentine's card, and they are all generously shared for free.   People are so nice! :)

Valentine Mantel with Natural Elements

Last week I had some fun putting together a new mantel for Valentine's Day.  I realized, through the process, that putting together a mantel is very similar to putting together a puzzle.  Every piece is important, every piece has it's place, and sometimes you have to move a piece around several times before you find the right fit! 

I felt up for a challenge so I decided to only use items that I already had in my home, this is what I was able to pull together...

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This little plant was $5 from IKEA.  I wrote on the original black plastic pot with chalk and ran some jute around the top.  It's sitting on a couple of books from by bookcase.

This is a .75 thrift store frame.  I spray painted it with red, sanded to distress, and then painted the cardboard backing with inexpensive chalkboard paint from Wal-mart.  The metal easel and the frog are both from a dollar store.

 

Pucker up!

I bought the frog last summer for no other reason than that I thought he was adorable.  He makes a perfect prince in waiting, ha, ha!

I started making the chicken wire frame last Fall and then gave up on it because it wasn't coming together how I wanted it to (It fell apart!).  Once I decided I wanted to use it for my mantel, I figured out a way to fix it.  I'll show you how I made it in a future post.  The metal accents were originally a bright gold color.  I painted them with red and oil rubbed bronze spray paint and distressed them.

  

The vintage Valentine prints are clipped to the chicken wire with clothespins that I stained with dark walnut water-based stain.  Black and white family photos would be fun to use too.

I talked about the rolled flower rosettes in my last post.  They're glued to a paper plate so I can use my wreath for other holidays/seasons. 

I clipped them to the wreath with the clothespins just to see how the flowers looked and decided that I liked them there, so they stayed.

The window is made from paint sticks and glass from a dollar store frame.  You can learn how to make it here.

This plant is also from IKEA.  The tin bucket is from a dollar store.  I wrapped jute around the vase and hot glued rustic tin hearts to each end. 

I bought the candle on clearance at JoAnn's for .79.  The candle stick was $2.50 from Good Will.  I spray painted it and distressed it.   It's held together in the back with tape.

 You can read about my paint stick crate here. 

The mason jars are painted inside.  I just rolled the paint around inside until it was completely covered, let the excess paint drip out and let them dry.  I can see them filled with tulips for spring, wouldn't that be pretty!

When I got the idea to actually carve 'I love you' into a log (for my sweetie), I didn't realize it would take me so long.  It was a labor of love for sure! 

I drew the pattern on with a pencil and then spent the next hour with a wood chisel and a small pocket knife carving away.  I'm planning to add our initials to it, but I need to forget how tiring it was first!   (It really wasn't that bad, I just thought it would be easier than it was.) 

Here's a tip:  If a piece of the bark flakes off where you didn't want it too, you can hot glue it back on. 

This is how the mantel looks without the Valentine's clipped to the wire.  I was back and forth on whether they made it look too busy or not.  In the end I decided to just keep them, they're fun.

Read all about how I made the mantel shelf here.

 

Well, that's it!  This was a big post, but there was a lot to show you.  Hope you saw something you liked! :)

Today's Fabulous Find...the fun in using what you have!

I'm linking up to:  Beneath My Heart   Under the Table and Dreaming   Funky Junk Interiors   Tator Tots and Jello   Pocket Full of Pink   Home Stories A to Z Valentine Mantel Party  My Repurposed Life  Creation Corner   Get Outta My Head Please   The 36th Avenue  House of Hepworths  Oopsey Daisy  The Shabby Creek Cottage  Creations by Kara   Blue Cricket Design  Domestically Speaking   An Original Belle  'Lil Luna  Someday Crafts