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www.kitchenwarenews.com • NOVEMBER 2019 • KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW 3 Swedish Dish Cloths were a hot item at this summer's markets, and those offered by Cose Nuove are among the most at- tractive available. Designed to appeal to the eco-conscious consumer, Swedish Dish Cloths are made of a cotton-cellu- lose fabric that's completely natural and biodegradable. They'll stand up to laun- dering in either dishwasher or washing machine for months. Just squeeze them out and let them quickly air dry. When their useful life is finished, they go into the compost. They're printed with water- based ink, and custom designs are avail- able. Each towel is about 5.5 inches by 7 inches and retails for $6 to $7. For more information, visit www.cosen- uove.com. KN Swedish Dish Cloths from Cose Nuove Clean, Creative Play for Restless Eaters BY LORRIE BAUMANN Anne Cork's Imagination Starters line of placemats encourages creative kids to stay quietly at the dinner table a little longer by giving them something to do with their hands that doesn't create a mess. She came up with the ideas for her whimsically designed washable placemats nine years ago when she had young, active children of her own. "I'm a mom," Cork says. "When you talk about inspiration, that's usually from my real life." It took three years of thought and experiment for her to come up with her Imagination Starters line of placemats, printed on one side with designs for children to color and blank on the other side for children who prefer to start with ideas of their own. Design themes for the placemats range from fun and fantasy to animals and nature. A newly launched series offers winter holiday designs. Others have strong learning themes, with an alphabet placemat, a map of the U.S., a world map and cursive writing. "They're focused on non-digital creative play that gets kids away from their screens and using their creativity and fine motor skills," Cork says. "We want to do it in a way that doesn't make parents cringe because they're so messy.... All of them wipe off with water. They're all double-sided, so if kids get bored or finish coloring one picture, they can flip it over." Top sellers are individual placemats in 30 different designs – Annabelle Noel launches a dozen new designs a year. Those measure 12 inches by 17 inches and retail for $8 each. The company also offers sets of four 9-inch by 12-inch placemats designed for parents to take with them into restaurants. The set of four retails for $15.99. While the placemats were originally designed to be used with Crayola brand washable crayons, the company now produces its own brand of crayons in a four- pack and an eight-pack box, which gives stores the option of not having to carry a big-box brand. "All of our roots are in independents, and that's who we sell to," she says. "We're all born out of independent kitchen, gourmet and gift shops. Our brick- and-mortar shops are our bread and butter." For more information, visit www.imaginationstarters.com, which offers a link for wholesale information and pricing. KN