Oooooh, I’m so happy with today’s project I could just coo and twitter and crow with pride until I annoy the shit out of everyone around me…and I think I will. Excuse me for a moment while I push my coworkers to the edge with my self-congratulatory behavior.

OK, I’m back! Isn’t she just the cutest little first attempt at an origami neko you’ve ever seen? If you’ve fallen in love and are desperate to make your own little paper kitty, here’s a great video that shows you how to do it, step by step.

Today’s first lesson was to never give up. I got one of the cat’s ears immediately, then took another 10 minutes to figure out how to replicate the folds on the other side to make the ear bend the right way. It was a moment (or several moments) of extreme frustration, and I felt like giving up, but I really wanted an origami kitty so bad that I just took some deep breaths and went back to trying. True to form, once I got the ear, the rest of the cat was pretty easy, except for pushing up the curves between the front and back legs on the sides. That didn’t work too well, but I think it might just be the kind of paper I’m using, as well.

Speaking of paper, that’s the other lesson I learned today – the paper I’m using is just fine, but having some solid colors and sturdier textures would probably be a good move to make if I’m going to keep making origami. It’s funny – it’s only been 9 days of the Thirty Days Project, but I’m really loving making a little paper sculpture every day. I might just keep going and make it a daily habit. I’m already trying to figure out what neat little trinkets I could be making for my friends for the holidays.