Jeans help

[hartstar99.livejournal.com]

Okay I am in need of some advice on what to do with two pairs of jeans:
1) I cut the top off them cause they were too high and in the process, the zipper came off so I now need some form of closure on the front (but not velcro, something solid) that doesnt require a sewing machine possibly??
2) a pair of jeans that are just too big for me but I dont want to throw them away..thinking I can make it into a skirt or something but I would like something nice to do to it that also doesnt require alot of sewing...any instructions on how to get them to the skirt stage or any other ideas would be wonderful.

Thanks :)