Colorado cool stuff.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Bixby - Betinaworks Jewelry - Avalanche Cheese

TIM'S CUSTOM POKER TABLES

Aircraft mechanic and pilot Tim Hebert found himself behind a desk too often, but still "liked using his hands," so he made a poker table a couple of years ago and sold it right away. He's since made 20 more custom tables, offering a selection of cloth, wood, base and other features.

He also likes to offer advice to people building their own tables and even gives away free plans on his website. "I just enjoy the heck out of it," says Hebert, who plays poker with the same group of friends every Saturday night. "Seven-card draw is my favorite game." $449 and up.

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Made by Tim Hebert, Tim's Custom Poker Tables, Longmont, www.timscustompokertables.com.

'DENVER'S BEST DIVE BARS' BOOK

When he's not teaching writing at the University of Colorado-Denver, Drew Bixby spends a fair amount of his time on a barstool. Bixby can chalk at least some of his tippling time up to research: He writes a drinking column for Denver's alt-weekly Westword and recently published a book detailing the city's best dive bars.

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Included bars are rated one to five beer bottles for their dive-iness and range from such renowned dives as El Chapultepec and the Rocky Flats Lounge to lesser-known holes like Len and Bill's Lounge and Old Curtis Street Bar. Bixby says his personal favorite is the Squire Lounge on East Colfax "for its free shuffleboard, the Bionic Beaver, fierce-yet-fun bartenders and cheap-as-hell drinks." $12.95 retail.

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Written by Drew Bixby, Denver, published by Gamble Guides (IG Publishing), Brooklyn, N.Y., www.igpub.com. Available at numerous bookstores in Colorado, including The Tattered Cover.

BETINAWORKS JEWELRY

Beth Wood started making jewelry for "me, my mom and my friends" as a teenager, but it took her almost 20 years to start selling it. She did a show at a friend's house in 2007, and it was a big success: 100...