Why not try making the locking piece of your pencil box design into a part of a picture.  You could try a three dimensional design like the ones on the left hand  illustration or you could try a two-dimensional picture like the 'countryside scene'. Simple geometric designs can be effective too and need not be part of the locking mechanism of the lid if you prefer.

For the clocks project it is most important you research existing clocks.  What have other designers done before and how successful do you think their end result has been..?  How easily read is the clock face?  Does the clock-face really need numbers or can we all tell the time well enough just by the position of the hands?  Should your clock be 'free-standing' or should you  design it for wall-hanging?   From what height will the clock be viewed...If it is for a low bed-side table then a free-standing clock may need to be tilted back on its stand.               
Above all make your clock   fun as well as being well designed !

  Is it HARDWOOD ..
            or is it SOFTWOOD ?

The easy way to tell if a tree is hardwood or softwood is to think about what sort of leaf it has.  If it has broad leaves and loses them in Winter then it is fairly certain to be a hardwood.  The seeds are another clue, as broad-leafed trees have seeds inside fruit or nuts.  Apples and acorns are both example of fruits from hardwood trees.  Holly and Laurel  keep their leaves and are therefore called 'evergreen' but still have the broad leaves of hardwoods.

Softwoods are usually 'evergreen' and have thin needle-like leaves.  Their seeds are fircones and can often be seen on the trees well after they have formed.  Softwoods are happy to grow in colder climates than hardwoods and generally grow much quicker. This is why there are large areas in Wales and Scotland that are covered in fir-trees...they are being 'farmed'.  When they are cut down and sawn up more are planted to be cut down 15~20 years later. If you look at the grain pattern of the different kinds side-by-side you can see how much farther apart the softwood rings are with its quicker rate of growth.

Now check out the pattern of the grain on a plank or piece of wood.  You should easily be able to see how the section has been cut from the original tree trunk.  Trees are very strong in their long-direction...The grain is easily slit if it is pulled apart and so when working with wood care has to be taken.