Janet Edkins And Her Beads of Light

My hometown is Sheffield, England - famous for steel, cutlery, silverware, and football (soccer to you) Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. Although an old and extremely large industrial city, 5th largest in Britain, it feels smaller, indeed, it feels very similar to Knoxville, where I now call home.  

Chris and I moved to America in 1998 shortly after we married and were vagabonds for the first few years, living in Dallas (N Richardson & Plano), Evanston, Skokie & Wheeling) in the Chicago area. Finally, in March 2003, Chris was offered a position at UTK College of Veterinary Medicine. We fell in love with this area; the Smoky Mountains, wonderful people, seasons, and the general ambiance, like Sheffield. So much so, within weeks of being here we bought a house and settled down.

My creative her-story. I‘ve always been creative, showing up in dress-making when I was younger, in set dressing and props, and furniture and drapes in my many forays in amateur theatre, and finally Sumi-é, Cards, and Jewelry. 

In the winter of 2000 Kay Thomas was offering a class in Japanese Ink Painting (Sumi-é) at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. An amazing artist and gifted teacher, under her tutelage I found a real outlet for my creative soul. Zen Buddhist priests used Sumi-é as a form of meditation; grinding their ink, gathering their thoughts and creativity. I had tried water color, pastels, crayons and oils previously but none spoke to me the way the ink did.   

Traditional Sumi-é is black, white and as many shades of grey as you can imagine. The juxtaposition of simple yet infinitely complex is a perfect reflection of life in general and my own tastes in color, including that lovely splash of red from my ‘chop’!   

I started making greetings cards from scraps of spoiled Sumi-é paintings and, as many of you will know, one thing led to another, and now I make all kinds of cards. My love of fine papers, flowers, herbs, and beads allows for even greater expression. I truly hope that people find as much joy from the giving and receiving of my cards as I do in the making.   

So now beading! I made lots of small beady things for my cards and always said that "I did not make jewelry!" Oh how wrong that became, and believe me when I say that my “beady” friends rib me relentlessly every time I come up with another design or a twist on someone else’s design. It all started with vintage buttons! Then beaded ropes and on to healing stones.   

I love the stones that comprise my body of work now. They feel good in my hands and I love the way the designs come together differently for each.  Natural stones have healing properties which I share with my clients. Trusting each find a stone to promote the healing benefits matching their individual needs.

My “Why” is the beauty of stones and crystals and their healing properties.  I use Reiki energy to cleanse and release the stones & crystals from any negativity acquired along their journey to me and then I infuse them with the love, peace & light of the Universe asking only for the best and highest good for the person who will eventually find their perfect piece. 

I was introduced to Regenrus by my Reiki family, specifically Carolyn Jones, as a general support supplement for health and a bolster and help sustain to high vibrational energy. 

I feel blessed to be included in the Regenrus Ohana and to have become a trusted supplier.  I am grateful for their confidence in my work and to be so wonderfully supported in my art and life.