Well, 2023 went fast! It’s become somewhat of an annual tradition of ours at this time of year to take a moment to pause and reflect on some of our favourite moments the past year has brought. From working with some fabulous brands to welcoming our teeniest member of the team yet, this has been a year filled with moments of joy. We strive to find the good, from the small things to the big things and everything in between, so read on to find out 10 highlights from the year that was 2023…

10 highlights from the year that was 2023

1. Martha won the Consumer Businesswoman of the Year award

First up on our list of our 10 highlights from the year that was 2023 has to be our Founder and CEO, Martha, bringing home the award for Consumer Businesswoman of the Year at the Great British Businesswoman Awards! We were beyond proud and with the awards taking place in January, it was certainly a brilliant way to kick off the year!

2. We teamed up with Penguin…again!

Before we launched the Book Journal, we seriously had no clue how many of you are book lovers, just like us! So, we’ve had the absolute pleasure of continuing to work with our friends at Penguin and collaborate on some fantastic novels this year, including Emily Henry’s Happy Place. Not only did we get to interview some wonderful authors on our weekly blog, Martha got the chance to interview the Emily Henry on an Instagram live to ask some of your questions. A major fan-girl moment for all us… especially Martha! That’s not all, we’ve got some exciting things coming for 2024 too so watch this space!

3. We’ve launched some new products you’ve absolutely loved

Another highlight for all of us from this year has been creating products that you, our community, have absolutely loved. We’ve worked hard to bring you new things you’ve wanted to see, and it’s safe to say this year has certainly been the year of journals! Created with a load of thought and prompts along the way, all of them have been designed to inspire and genuinely help others no matter what journey they’re on, everything from IVF, to gardening to wellness!

4. We welcomed a new very little member to our team

In June this year, we welcomed a very special addition to our team… introducing Clementine! Martha and her husband (you all know him as Mr.B) welcomed their gorgeous girl in June, after seven rounds of IVF. We couldn’t be happier for them and if we had to choose just one highlight from this year, this would have to be it. With Mr. B as our Head of Operations and Martha as our CEO, they’ve both done a fantastic job at juggling a baby as well as everything at Martha Brook and we’re just ever so grateful for those cosy newborn cuddles!

5. We collaborated with some amazing brands!

Another one of our 10 highlights from the year that was 2023 is working with some fabulous brands! We’re thrilled to have worked with some like-minded brands to giveaway some lovely treats, and to have a bit of fun along the way. This year we had the pleasure of working with Talking Tables, The Happy Blossoms, Baked by Steph, Beards & Daises, Roald Dahl, Cutter & Squidge, Penguin and Block by Block. We already have lots of exciting stuff coming for 2024 which we’re itching to share with you!

6. We turned 10!

Wowzers, 10 whole years of Martha Brook, and a whole load of fun along the way too. We’re endlessly grateful to you, our lovely customers, who support us in all that we do, which means we get to continue doing what we love…create stationery that uplifts, inspires and genuinely helps to empower people. From growing our little team to creating new products, we’ve come a long way in 10 years and we can’t wait to see what the next decade brings too!

7. The 6^th year of our Stationery Advent Calendar

Another year, another sold out advent calendar! Back for it’s 6^th year running and we couldn’t be more grateful for the love you give to our 24 Days of Stationery Advent Calendar. This year, we went with a fantastical and bold design to capture the comforting and escapist mood of this Christmas and now December is here, we hope you’re getting stuck in to 24 days of stationery! Watch this space, as one advent ends…another begins!

8. We went viral a few times

If we knew all it would take is some furniture, a couple of pieces of cardboard and an hour in the rain, we would have done this much sooner! No matter if you’re new here or you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll know it’s our personal duty to spread the word high and low on how to correctly spell stationery (often misspelled to stationary!) Every year we take this very seriously, so you can imagine we were thrilled that putting Martha out in the rain paid off when this reel went viral on Instagram and Tik Tok. Remember – E for envelope!

9. We’ve had some amazing press features

Each year we’re delighted to see our stationery in some of our favourite magazines, newspapers and online publications and to hear what others are saying about some of our products. We’re proud to say we’ve had features in Metro, You Magazine and Glamour to name a few, but a particular highlight was when we saw Martha, Mr. B and Clementine on our TV screens when they were interviewed by BBC News for Small Business Saturday.

10. And lastly…you left us the loveliest reviews

Last but most certainly not least on our list of our 10 highlights from the year that was 2023 is your lovely feedback from Trustpilot and Google. As a small business, there is something so heart-warming about reading a lovely review about what we’re doing and they never go unnoticed. In fact, we make a conscious effort to pass on your lovely feedback to the relevant team and there’s no surer way to see big smiles all around. It’s what it’s all about for us, it gives us such a boost knowing something we’ve created has made a difference to your day, and we’re so grateful that you’ve taken the time to leave us some lovely words. It was hard to choose, but here are our 6 favourite reviews from 2023.

And that’s a wrap! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our 10 highlights from the year that was 2023 and we can’t wait to see what 2024 brings! From all of us at Martha Brook, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. You can still shop here and get organised for 2024, we’ll be taking a break over Christmas and New Year but we’ll be back from 2nd January sending out your stationery orders.