diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index b320fbc..cfe1947 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -14,13 +14,27 @@ documentation = "https://docs.rs/struct_iterable"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
+[workspace]
+members = [
+    "struct_iterable_derive",
+    "struct_iterable_internal",
+]
+
 [dependencies]
-struct_iterable_derive = "0.1.0"
-struct_iterable_internal = "0.1.1"
+struct_iterable_derive = { path="struct_iterable_derive" }
+struct_iterable_internal = { path="struct_iterable_internal" }
 
 [lib]
 name = "struct_iterable"
 path = "src/lib.rs"
 
+[[example]]
+name = "custom-trait"
+path = "examples/custom_trait.rs"
+
+[[example]]
+name = "any"
+path = "examples/any.rs"
+
 [package.metadata.docs.rs]
-all-features = true
\ No newline at end of file
+all-features = true
diff --git a/examples/any.rs b/examples/any.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..733d354
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/any.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+use struct_iterable::Iterable;
+
+// Use iterable attribut without custom item
+// defaults to std::any::Any
+#[derive(Iterable)]
+struct MyStruct {
+    print_me: Option<String>,
+    do_not_print_me: Vec<u8>,
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let my_struct = MyStruct {
+        print_me: Some("the test works".to_string()),
+        do_not_print_me: vec![4,2],
+    };
+
+    for (key, value) in my_struct.iter() {
+        if let Some(string_opt) = value.downcast_ref::<Option<String>>() {
+            if let Some(string) = string_opt.as_deref() {
+                println!("{key}=\"{string}\"");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/examples/custom_trait.rs b/examples/custom_trait.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e00f92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/custom_trait.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+use struct_iterable::Iterable;
+
+// Use the iterable attribute to derive a custom trait instead
+#[derive(Iterable)]
+#[iterable(ToString)]
+struct MyStruct {
+    a: u32,
+    b: String,
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let my_struct = MyStruct {
+        a: 42,
+        b: String::from("foobar"),
+    };
+
+    for (key, value) in my_struct.iter() {
+        println!("{key}={}", value.to_string());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/struct_iterable_derive/Cargo.toml b/struct_iterable_derive/Cargo.toml
index 1b25272..203f0fd 100644
--- a/struct_iterable_derive/Cargo.toml
+++ b/struct_iterable_derive/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,6 +13,6 @@ proc-macro = true
 [dependencies]
 syn = "2.0.13"
 quote = "1.0.26"
-proc-macro2 = "1.0.56"
-erased-serde = "0.3.7"
-struct_iterable_internal = "0.1.1"
\ No newline at end of file
+proc-macro2 = "1.0.79"
+erased-serde = "0.4.4"
+struct_iterable_internal = "0.1.1"
diff --git a/struct_iterable_derive/src/lib.rs b/struct_iterable_derive/src/lib.rs
index 5aeab33..dda0107 100644
--- a/struct_iterable_derive/src/lib.rs
+++ b/struct_iterable_derive/src/lib.rs
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@ extern crate proc_macro;
 
 use proc_macro::TokenStream;
 use quote::quote;
-use syn::{parse_macro_input, Data, DeriveInput, Fields};
-use struct_iterable_internal::Iterable;
+use syn::{Meta, parse_macro_input, Data, DeriveInput, Fields};
 
 /// The `Iterable` proc macro.
 ///
@@ -37,13 +36,28 @@ use struct_iterable_internal::Iterable;
 /// };
 ///
 /// for (field_name, field_value) in my_instance.iter() {
-///     println!("{}: {:?}", field_name, field_value);
+///     println!("{field_name}: {field_value:?}");
 /// }
 /// ```
-#[proc_macro_derive(Iterable)]
+#[proc_macro_derive(Iterable, attributes(iterable))]
 pub fn derive_iterable(input: TokenStream) -> TokenStream {
     let input = parse_macro_input!(input as DeriveInput);
 
+    let trait_name = match input.attrs.iter().find(
+        |a| a.path().segments.len() == 1 && a.path().segments[0].ident == "iterable"
+    ) {
+        Some(attr) => {
+            if let Meta::List(meta) = &attr.meta {
+                meta.tokens.clone()
+            } else {
+                panic!("Invalid format of \"iterable\" attribute");
+            }
+        },
+        None => {
+            quote!(std::any::Any)
+        },
+    };
+
     let struct_name = input.ident;
     let fields = match input.data {
         Data::Struct(data_struct) => match data_struct.fields {
@@ -57,19 +71,19 @@ pub fn derive_iterable(input: TokenStream) -> TokenStream {
         let field_ident = &field.ident;
         let field_name = field_ident.as_ref().unwrap().to_string();
         quote! {
-            (#field_name, &(self.#field_ident) as &dyn std::any::Any)
+            (#field_name, &(self.#field_ident) as &dyn #trait_name)
         }
     });
 
-    let expanded = quote! {
-        impl Iterable for #struct_name {
-            fn iter<'a>(&'a self) -> std::vec::IntoIter<(&'static str, &'a dyn std::any::Any)> {
+    TokenStream::from(quote! {
+        impl<'a> struct_iterable::Iterable for &'a #struct_name {
+            type Item = &'a dyn #trait_name;
+
+            fn iter(self) -> std::vec::IntoIter<(&'static str, Self::Item)> {
                 vec![
                     #(#fields_iter),*
                 ].into_iter()
             }
         }
-    };
-
-    TokenStream::from(expanded)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+    })
+}
diff --git a/struct_iterable_internal/src/lib.rs b/struct_iterable_internal/src/lib.rs
index ac25269..1417373 100644
--- a/struct_iterable_internal/src/lib.rs
+++ b/struct_iterable_internal/src/lib.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 /// }
 /// ```
 pub trait Iterable {
+    type Item;
+
     /// Returns an iterator over the struct's fields as tuples.
     ///
     /// Each tuple contains a field's name as a static string and a reference to the field's value as `dyn Any`.
@@ -52,5 +54,5 @@ pub trait Iterable {
     ///     println!("{}: {:?}", field_name, field_value);
     /// }
     /// ```
-    fn iter(&self) -> std::vec::IntoIter<(&'static str, &'_ dyn std::any::Any)>;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+    fn iter(self) -> std::vec::IntoIter<(&'static str, Self::Item)>;
+}