I also stained the boarder, and I decided to go with a darker color to create some contrast with the main inner board, as well as create some unity with the black hippo. I was contemplating cutting the hands of the clock a little shorter, but after pondering upon it, I realized I really liked how the hands were a little longer than the body of the hippo, so I decided to stick with the way the hands were. 

Above is an image of one of my drafts - I accidentally spilled some stain on the main board, so I went ahead and re-cut my design, just to make sure everything was perfect!