A mother has sparked outrage after revealing she spray-painted her child's toys to match the 'neutral' color scheme of her Christmas decorations.
Nattie Jo Powell, from Jacksonville, Florida, took to TikTok to share the unusual DIY makeover she performed on the $64.99 plastic tree.
The mother-of-one muted the colors of the Christmas decorations, claiming her 15-month-old daughter is “a neutral girl at heart.”
But other social media users were left stunned when someone described the end result as 'cold and lifeless'.
Nattie Jo Powell, from Jacksonville, Florida, took to TikTok to share the unusual DIY makeover she performed on the $64.99 plastic tree
Mother-of-one muted the colors of Christmas decorations and claimed her 15-month-old daughter is 'a neutral girl at heart'
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 3.5 million times to date, Nattie begins: “Go ahead and call me crazy or a sad beige mother for what I'm about to do.
'Today I'm giving Step 2 My First Christmas Tree a total makeover. I'm leaning into my inner Pintrest mom with the vision to neutralize the tree and I can hear you thinking I'm going to ruin my toddler's Christmas by painting over these colors.
“But let's be honest: My toddler's favorite toys are brown cardboard boxes and clear plastic water bottles, so I really think she's a neutral girl at heart.”
She continued, “After I got a good look at the tree, I went to Lowe's where I picked out all of our spray colors…
“Once I decided which colors to spray on each part, it was time to go.”
The clip was then cut to Nattie halfway through her DIY project, with the parts of the toy tree lying on the floor.
The content creator, who has more than 101,000 followers, explains: 'Originally I wanted to paint the body of the tree brown, but then I realized I wanted my tree to look a bit alive.
'So here I am painting an already green tree a different shade of green. It gave it a very realistic Christmas tree look, which I love.”
The clip was then cut to Nattie halfway through her DIY project, with the parts of the toy tree lying on the floor
She spray-painted the plastic star, tree border and accompanying ornaments in various subdued shades before letting the parts dry overnight
She then spray-painted the plastic star, tree border and accompanying ornaments in various subdued shades before letting the parts dry overnight.
“It was time for the moment of truth and look how it all turned out,” Nattie explained.
She admitted that perhaps she should have added some “glitz or shine” but was happy that it “gave an organic, modern vibe.”
Nattie showed off what the muted tree looked like in the family home before concluding: 'I absolutely love it.'
But other social media users weren't convinced and didn't hold back in the comments.
One wrote: 'Yes! Delicious! Encourage your child's development by turning everything colorful into a sad beige!!!'
Nattie showed off what the muted tree looked like in the family home before concluding: 'I absolutely love it.' In the photo: before (left) and after (right)
But other social media users weren't convinced and didn't hold back in the comments
Another added: 'But you have your own tree. I would have bought this little one so my child could have his own colorful one.”
And a third said: 'It has a winter feel to it. Cold and lifeless.'
However, following the widespread backlash, Nattie posted a follow-up video to defend her creation.
She said: 'Some of you have a big problem with me because I broke the internet and decided to spray paint my toddler's first Step 2 Christmas tree.
“And besides the fact that I don't care if you think I'm a sad beige mom, but I do care how many of you commented on the colors and safety of the ornaments.
“My toddler really won't put these in her mouth.”
She then moved on to another DIY tip about making “toddler-safe decorations” before concluding, “If you do have an opinion, be kind about it or move on.”