Hello there, fellow traveler, and thank you for stopping by my shop! I'm glad you're here :) The Onward Traveler began over 3 years ago after the birth of my sweet daughter, Vera. She was the driving force behind me learning to make soft sole baby shoes. I've always had a weakness for shoes and now I had a new outlet for that obsession...the only problem being I didn't actually know how to operate the sewing machine that had been sitting up in my attic for 10 years! So one afternoon, I decided to dust it off, and my mom came over and taught me the basics. That's where it all began. After about a year of tweaking my pattern, countless pairs of trashed practice shoes and broken needles, a good bit of frustration, many really late nights, a whole heck of a lot of patience from my better half, and perhaps even a few tears, I opened an Etsy shop named Dolce Vera and began selling soft soled baby shoes :) It has been a wonderful creative outlet that I have greatly enjoyed and appreciated. Last year I decided to open up a separate shop called the Onward Traveler and embark on a new venture with hand-stamped custom leather cuffs. You see, I had been drooling over this type of bracelet for a while and like any good self-proclaimed crafty person I logically thought 'why spend the $50 on a cuff someone else made when I can buy all the supplies for $400 and make my own?!' Makes complete sense right? I thought so too :P Once I got the equipment, a fire was lit. Encouraging people with a few words hammered into metal and riveted to a leather cuff has become a great blessing to me. I love learning the stories and inspiration behind the words you choose.
In 2016 I decided to merge my two shops and offer a little something for the little travelers and big (er) ones alike. I hope you enjoy looking around and maybe even find a little something you or someone you love might fancy. It is my sincere hope that these cuffs and shoes will be well-worn and well loved wherever your future travels take you!
Keep travelin' onward!
-Karen