BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. — Days after tornadoes ripped through the Kansas City area and laid waste to homes, a 26-year-old graphic designer is using debris strewn across town from the storms to make jewelry and raise money for people in need.
Inside the Bear Lake subdivision in Bonner Springs, Moriah Manford’s home was damaged Tuesday as the storm peeled off parts of the roof and destroyed trees on the property.
With all sorts of material littered across her yard, Manford decided to repurpose some of those items.
“With all the random objects, it’s almost like a scavenger hunt,” she said. “All the shingles and debris all around, it’s crazy.”
During the past few days, Manford has been using art supplies and storm debris to make special earrings.
The jewelry, which comes in different shapes and sizes, helps show the impact from the tornado.
“The broken window screens are kind of different because they’re pretty botched, but I think it makes it more interesting,” she said. “It kind of gives it more of the story of the damage that was caused here.”
Manford showed 41 Action News the process of putting a pair of earrings together Friday using shingles.
Each one takes Manford between 5 and 20 minutes to create. She's already created about 40 pairs.
“There are a ton of different colors, surprisingly enough,” she said, picking up a piece of roofing material in her backyard. “I saw it and was like, ‘This is such an interesting material, because it’s black and it’s shiny but it’s really subtle.'"
Manford plans to donate the proceeds from sales of the earrings to local tornado relief efforts.
Moving forward, she hopes her designs can help neighbors affected by the devastation.
“Jewelry-making is a hobby of mine,” Manford said. “If you can share that with someone, I think it makes it that much better.”
Each pair of earrings is being sold for $5.
To view or order the jewelry, visit Manford's Etsy page.
